So while I got here days ago I’m still here enjoying myself rather than passing over the top to France. Met some great people had some good times. I’m also thinking a lot about France etc. Andorra is beautiful it’s also much like a shopping complex shoved into a mountain range.

I have been all over Andorra La Vella the ‘capital’ and have pretty much seen all there is to see, part of me might be hanging on here before I approach France and I know how tough that’s going to be (I’m not talking about the mountains in the way, I mean the larger difficulties of finding work and speaking French).

I have got a lot on my mind recently much more than I can write here or want to write here. But it’s all positive. I just need to stop thinking and start acting I think that would be a constructive first step. All the thinking is just driving me a little nuts. But hey I’m alive loving life here, only 186km to Toulouse. No problems .

I guess I’ll write the next entry from France and let you know how the getting over the final ridge of the mountains went. I’m imagining it’ll be hard as hell but very rewarding to go down the other side.

So I have been travelling around 3 months now, and I´m loving it but I´ll have to work at some point soon just to recharge funds and also keep the wheels turning, I think I mentioned that previously but it´s becoming a firmer idea. Certainly I wouldn´t mind stopping to develop some friends and have a feeling of permanence somewhere. I have such a greater profound respect for the great cycle tourists out there now, those who´ve been travelling for years before returning home (or are still going) how they cope with the endless movement is beyond me.

This doesn´t mean I´m about to stop. Even living abroad for a few months is part of the journey not the destination. Certainly though I am wondering how the future will be, how long will I be on the road. One thing is clear, money seems the least important thing in my life now. When I was earning good money I never felt as satisfied as I am at present. In fact it seems the less I have material wise the less stressed and happier I feel. What is the phrase again “the things you own, own you”? Possibly this is just simplicity at work. When you only have to worry about your next meal and the road ahead things are certainly simpler. Obviously when you get a job that changes, you have responsibilities a schedule of work, time is taken away to generate funds, but if I´m working just to move on again then I can cope for a time. In the future I can see my home / flat / apartment will be pretty spartan in nature.

So my plan is Portugal for now, then Andorra I know where I´m headed, I know what the plan is, I have a direction. But part of me is constantly wondering a few things;

1. Where I am going to stop?
2. When is that going to be?
3. What am I going to do when I finally reach the destination?
4. Who am I now and who do I want to be?
5. Why am I doing this? (usually on a mountainside in blistering heat to be fair)
6. How will I answer any of the above?

I don´t have an answer to any of these questions I think their similar questions to the ones I had when I was at work. Does everyone have them, aside from minor variations? Does anybody know how find the answers? Well anyhow I´m off to explore locally see if I can get any inspiration and maybe meditate again later. My blog entries seem quite repetetive recently so I´ll end on a travel note.

I biked to Malaga and I´m on my route back to Gibraltar due to the routes that are available I´ll have to backtrack as far as Sevilla before heading to Portugal thankfully this is only 3 or so days away but it´s worth learning that you should look at the big picture before deciding a route. I´ve met some fantastic people during my little detour and so I´m glad I took the time to do it, plus the places I visited are as beautiful as they are interesting. I would suggest taking the time to see Spain to anyone there are many spains though, depending where you go you´ll see something entirely different, I would suggest the less beaten path is the more interesting but don´t underestimate how nice it can be where the locals can understand English